


Hisashi Buri

by pok3d3x



Series: Chordae Tendineae [2]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Euroshipping, Guess who, M/M, Post-Series, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romantic Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-01
Updated: 2016-04-05
Packaged: 2018-05-30 12:57:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6424981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pok3d3x/pseuds/pok3d3x
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>久しぶり - Hisashi Buri, "It's been a long time", often used when talking to someone you haven't seen in awhile.</p><p>Bakura and Kaiba have been getting more and more comfortable together, and everything is looking to be going pretty smoothly. Neither is used to things going their way though, and that's for the best, since they're both magnets for misfortune.</p><p>Sequel to <i>l'art pour l'art</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Color By Number

**Author's Note:**

> In _l'art pour l'art_ , I mentioned that this would be manga based, but borrow from the anime as I see fit. A few things that were immediately evident, Kaiba was there for Memory World and Egypt (same hook from Dark Bakura, though it took place in the diorama that Bakura built at the Museum and Kaiba traveled with everyone to Egypt (which basically plays out like the trip they share in the anime though longer)). Not yet mentioned, Pegasus also survives, and the Grand Prix happened, because I like how Von Schroeder making deals with I2 at the end of the series would mess with Kaiba Corp.
> 
> Aside from that rather long list, unless directly mentioned otherwise, assume the manga's canon holds true. Feel free ask questions. The beautiful comments on the last story motivated me to put this together as quickly as I could with finals to worry about. Thank you to all my readers!

Bakura ran and got the door as he heard the bell, having been pacing in his main room trying to find last minute things to tidy for the last twenty minutes. He'd invited Kaiba over to his place, which he'd avoided since they first started hanging out together. His tiny apartment was nice and all, but he worried that it would pale in comparison to the luxury that Kaiba lived in. He didn't have the gourmet snacks from Germany and France, or the beautiful furniture imported from Malaysia and Italy. His humble abode was just that… painfully humble.

As he opened the door, he smiled at Kaiba, keeping a small laugh to himself. He'd told Kaiba to come in casual clothes that he wouldn't mind ruining. Kaiba still wore a fine dress shirt and bowtie with khakis, and Bakura had to admit that outside of class and sleepwear, this was the most casual he'd ever seen Kaiba.

"Sorry for the mess," Bakura meekly apologized as he welcomed Kaiba in, despite having cleaned every surface a minimum of three times preparing for today.

Kaiba slid his shoes off as he entered, taking the time to set them neatly to the side of the genkan. He looked around the main room, impressed by the large displays of miniatures. Slipping on the guest slippers set out for him, he walked up to the first display case. "Did you make all of these?" he asked, amazed by the variety.

"No, at first I started out just collecting the sets," he pointed out the few plastic figures that really were only a handful compared to the sheer quantity of the rest. "But I touched up all of their colors myself. Aside from those few, yeah. I've been making minis for a while now." He smiled sheepishly, a little worried he might come off as too big of a nerd. He reminded himself he was talking to the man who had a custom built Blue Eyes jet though, and felt a little less ridiculous.

"Um, would you like to see my game room?" Bakura offered.

Kaiba nodded, that was why they were here, after all. He thought the display out there was impressive, but the Monster World tabletop was massive and beautifully detailed. He wondered how long it had taken to set up, but he avoided asking about it. Figurines were a comfortable topic now, but Kaiba wasn't quite sure where they were on the game as a whole. He spotted a small table by a window with several cardboard boxes under it. On top of the table was some newspaper spread out and the two figurines they'd be working on today.

Bakura opened the sole window in the room before pulling out a chair for Kaiba. "I sealed yesterday, so they should be dry by now. We have to dust them before we paint." They both took a seat and Bakura pulled the boxes of paints up into reach. One box had a pack of tack cloth, and Bakura opened a new set. Wiping down his figure, he watched Kaiba do the same. Kaiba had ended up trying to make a dragon, having gotten frustrated with faces and hair. Then he found out just how difficult wings were. His model was a ferocious landwyrm now.

Teaching someone to paint was a lot less intensive than how to carve. A lot of it just came with time, and it wasn't like he had some formal schooling on the proper technique.

"You don't want to put too much paint in one spot, it'll break off more easily as the finish wears away, and it'll look blotchy or uneven," he offered as he began to pull his favorite colors out. The little tubes of acrylic all had dots of paint on top to reveal the true color of the dried paint; packaging lied. "I think we'll focus of flat colors today, shading and blending is pretty intense for a beginning project."

Kaiba nodded, perusing the vast assortment of colors before him. This was no Blue Eyes, so he stayed away from the colors Bakura was eagerly hoarding for the elf. Settling on a rich violet and pale grey, he watched curiously as Bakura began, thinly applying the paint in little tap strokes, and going over just the bare minimum to completely cover the color of the wood. 

"Since they were sealed first, they won't soak up all the paint. That really smooths over the process," Bakura idly commented as he spread white paint on the outer robe. He worked quickly, making it look as simple as a color by number. He did slow down for the edges by small details and the like, however, and Kaiba watched how he angled the brush and attacked corners so as not to bleed over to another segment of the figure.

He smiled a little lopsided as he amended," That being said, we'll have to touch up colors as they dry. The paint contracts, so thin patches pop up here and there."

"Makes sense," Kaiba said with a nod. That was a pretty principle fact of drying liquids, though he'd never had to put the knowledge into active practice. "Is this good?" He showed off the portion to the back he'd painted as slowly as possible. It bothered him how the lines of the boundaries between scales and spinal ridges waved a bit, but he hoped he could even it out when he colored in the horns and ridges.

"It's great!" Bakura enthused," The coat looks really even, so it should dry smoothly." His words seemed to glow like his expression, and Kaiba uncomfortably muttered thanks. He seemed to expect praise, but when he genuinely got it, he tended to clam up sometimes.

A hesitation in Bakura's happiness stuttered through his smile, and he laughed lightly. "Forgot to fill up the water," he excused, grabbing a special cup that resembled a toothbrush holder that was graduated so it could suspend the brushes in the water.

Kaiba continued to paint, focusing on cleaning up the edges of his blocks of color. When Bakura returned, he briefly showed his progress before continuing. They worked in silence, Kaiba focusing much too hard to maintain a conversation, and Bakura content to paint quietly like he usually did. It was a calming activity, and he didn't want to force contrived banter on it.

Kaiba quickly got the knack of twirling the base as he painted so he didn't have to halt every time he reached the edge of his brush's reach, and he was actually pretty content with how the mini was turning out, under the guise of being practice for future projects of course. He was just too critical of the micro mistakes. The uneven edges of color, the small bubbles where he didn't quite get it as smooth as the rest of it… Bakura assured him that could all be fixed when he did eventually comment vaguely on his disappointment, and ran through the steps like they were as common knowledge as how to tie shoes.

He managed to pass off the information as being so easy without coming across as arrogant, and Kaiba wondered _how_ he could do that. He was so skillful, clearly passionate about it, and yet he gave detailed instructions like easygoing suggestions. It boggled Kaiba's mind.

Despite putting a lot detail into a much more detailed figure, Bakura still finished only a few minutes after Kaiba. His elven mini looked majestic with its shaded folds of clothing and blended coloration to make the bracers and tucked away vest of armor look like metal. It looked like a masterpiece next to the bland wyrm it stood proudly next to. Kaiba tried to dismiss the train of thought, but already his fingers were itching to try and revise his piece. The fact that too much paint would be problematic and the dull acknowledgement that his simpler design would always look more plain was all that kept him from smearing on more paint.

"Well, they have to dry before we can do anything more," Bakura sighed, sitting back in his chair. 

Kaiba mused," Sealing, painting, and sealing again, all the while waiting for drying times and touching up the blemishes those bring; this is quite the intensive progress." He caught a look from worry from Bakura and added," I can see why you like it. It's not some throwaway project, it really takes commitment."

"I'm glad you don't think it's boring or something," Bakura said with a sheepish smile. He didn't expect Kaiba to get hardcore into miniature making like he was, but it was nice to be able to share something he cared about and have the other show actual interest. He would have felt bad or silly at the very least if Kaiba came away thinking it was a waste of time.

"Far too much of a challenge to be anything but interesting," Kaiba answered honestly. Thus why he played violin and had tried his hand at rock climbing.

They enjoyed a game of Eldritch Horror, the game Kaiba had brought from America, in the kitchen. It was the only room to have a big enough table that wasn't taken up with model sets. Bakura tried to be a good host, offering snacks and drinks readily, though he worried how they compared to magnificent treats Kaiba always had prepared for him at the mansion. Kaiba only ever made pleasant comments about the food, though he didn't partake much or comment much as a general rule. Bakura lived to eat, having the most insatiable sweet-tooth, but Kaiba seemed to be more of the "eat to live" category. Bakura had never witnessed him turn away or pick out any food, despite eating with Yuugi and everyone at places that were definitely not Kaiba's go to locales several times now.

Bakura excitedly laid the last card to needed to win the game and beamed at Kaiba. They really did make a good team, having prevented the eldritch abomination from reaching their world despite a grievous early setback with the condition cards and multiple worrisome mythos cards. Kaiba smirked satisfactorily at the board, pleased that they'd managed yet another victory.

"We're getting too good with this set. We should pick up an expansion," Kaiba commented. 

Bakura eagerly agreed, loving the work they did with the story building in the game and how it portrayed the grimdark gods of terror. 

Some more painting ensued, touching up the predicted streaky patches, before they had done all they could for the day.

"Come back tomorrow after school to varnish them?" Bakura asked looking at the minis proudly. He was honestly more proud of Kaiba's figure than his own, despite the elven Kaiba easily being his hardest piece yet. Kaiba's first mini was just so good, and he was so happy to know he'd helped Kaiba get this far with it!

"Of course. I can't leave a project half done."

"I'll have to pick up some masks," Bakura thought aloud. "The smell can be a bit much." He never considered it for himself if he was only doing a few figurines. He was used to it, but he figured Kaiba probably wasn't, and he couldn't imagine it would be a very fun end to a project he put so much work into to get faint or even feel a little ill.

"I look forward to it," Kaiba told Bakura, knowing he would appreciate the assurance that he really was interested, like how Kaiba lived off of Bakura's assurance his presence really was wanted by the group he was trying to accept as his friends.

They both stood, making way for the door. Kaiba brought Bakura into hug, resting his chin on his head and closing his eyes. He was getting used to frequent hugs, and beginning to find he even anticipated them eagerly. Bakura breathed in the fancy cologne Kaiba wore before important meetings and whispered," Not that you need it, but good luck with I2 today." Bakura's ear was pressed to Kaiba's chest, and the steady beat of his heart thumped calmingly.

"Thank you. Hopefully I can do a little to mend our partnership. Pegasus has been working with Von Schroeder, and it will look bad for business if he beats us out with the founder of Duel Monsters." He thought over what he said, and wryly ammended," Best known translator in any case." The general public didn't know the origins of the card game, but he'd seen up close and personal enough to never forget.

Bakura didn't really remember Von Schroeder, though he felt he should. He obviously meant something to Kaiba and his corporation, but Bakura couldn't recall them ever competing. Bakura gloomily thought it was probably something that took place just before the Ultimate Dark Game. He hugged Kaiba tighter pressing his face into Kaiba's chest as a chill went through him.

Kaiba rubbed Bakura's back gently, humming a small question and accepting when Bakura didn't answer. They stayed together for a few moments more before Kaiba sighed and said," I can't stay any longer." He couldn't risk being late to any meeting, not unless someone was dying.

"Okay," Bakura acknowledged glumly. He pulled away, plastering a smile on his face. "See you tomorrow."

Kaiba planted a brief kiss on the crown of Bakura's head and returned the smile, though more subdued. "Of course. See you, Bakura."

Bakura waved goodbye as Kaiba backed into the genkan, slipping naturally from slipper to shoe with practiced ease. As the his guest left, Bakura sighed regretfully and rubbed at his chest where his scars seemed to itch.

~~  
~~

Kaiba's blood ran cold when he got a notification just as his private helicopter was approaching Pegasus' castle. This meeting could wait, and he knew Pegasus would understand. Coordinating to be picked up by jet, he set course for Egypt.


	2. That's Not My Name

Bakura noticed Kaiba was absent from homeroom immediately. He didn't think for a second that Kaiba was going to show up after the five minute warning to school rang; It was very unlikely for him to be running late. His empty seat preoccupied Bakura all day, enough to fluster him when asked a question by the teacher. He didn't even know what class he was in off hand, until he looked over at Yuugi who was mouthing the answer.

Giving the answer, Bakura was relieved when the teacher quickly went on to another student. He folded his arms and rested his chin, trying to keep away the pout that so wanted to appear. Bakura's heart skipped a beat as his phone went off in class and he realized he never put it on silent. No one ever texted him in class, he rarely remembered to silence his phone.

Bowing his head in apology as he received a nasty look from the teacher, Bakura discreetly checked the message. [ _I should be back in Domino by 1600. Still work on miniatures together?_ ] Bakura's face lit up and he quickly, and not so discreetly, texted back an affirmative.

~~  
~~

Kaiba looked tired, but happy as Bakura let him into his little apartment.

"Meetings never go as planned," he said with small smile.

"It's okay, gave me extra time to prepare," Bakura assured him, afraid Kaiba might think he was upset. He'd been disappointed at first when he thought their plans were off, but he always understood how busy Kaiba was. He was just glad he fit anywhere into the businessman's life. Hugging Kaiba, he stood tiptoe to kiss his neck. Never the face, Kaiba had decided he wasn't very comfortable with it, and Bakura was quick to respect boundaries. Regular hugs were new enough for Kaiba.

Bakura, however, had quickly learned he loved all kisses all the time. Kaiba obliged him when he felt up to it, pecking him on the cheek or forehead sometimes. Kaiba's kisses were rare, but Bakura treasured every single one.

"Working on your deck?" Kaiba noted, seeing a bunch of cards laid out on Bakura's desk.

Bakura sheepishly walked over to his desk and began to put them away into their old shoe boxes and mismatched pocket page protectors. "Just sorting my old cards. It's been awhile, you know?"

Kaiba came up behind him and supportively put his hands over Bakura's shoulders. "I could help sometime."

Bakura shook his head. "That's okay. I'm almost done."

Gently squeezing Bakura's shoulders and humming understandingly, Kaiba leaned and kissed Bakura's cheek. He really only ever kissed because he loved watching how much Bakura obviously enjoyed it. His cheeks would edge on red, and he'd often cover the kissed skin with a hand, as if to hold on to the kiss longer, as he did right now with a small smile.

"Our minis are almost done, too," Kaiba segwayed, allowing an easy drop of the conversation. 

"Right," Bakura said with a relieved nod, abandoning the duel monster cards and leading Kaiba to finish the figures.

~~  
~~

With Kaiba still resolving Kaiba Corp's relations between Industrial Illusions and Von Schroeder's company, he was too busy to breathe let alone attend Mokuba's speech. The sixth grade all had to present speeches on their semester long research projects, and Mokuba had chosen to discuss the energy crisis and how several new technologies could significantly change the world in how it powered cities. Bakura was more than happy to fill in and attend the speech, enthusiastic to cheer Mokuba on.

It had become normal over the last few weeks for him to pick Mokuba up from school sometimes and take him out for ice cream or other fun treats. They both had an understanding on how amazing dessert was. Kaiba Seto was too reserved to hold a competition for who could drink a milkshake fastest or eat the most cookies, but Kaiba Mokuba was truly a worthy opponent for Bakura.

Bakura sat in the auditorium, politely clapping for the last student who'd stumbled over his closing statement. It was warm, too warm, and filled to the brim with proud parents. Bakura looked around wistfully, wondering what it was like to have someone in the crowd. He couldn't remember his father every coming to his performances, and if he'd had any before his mother's passing, he couldn't remember her showing either. He looked down at his wringing hands as he thought of how he never got to attend any of Amane's.

Bakura privately vowed he'd never let Mokuba have an empty seat in the auditorium. Kaiba did his best to attend events, despite the hectic publicity it brought, but he was too engrossed with work to make them all. Bakura supposed this was the benefit to having no life like he did. No job, no active family to take him away on trips or request his attendance at obscure relative's weddings… Well, he could be there for the Kaiba family.

Bakura looked up excited as Mokuba's name was called, earnestly clapping as Mokuba took his place as the podium. Clearing his throat, Mokuba quickly descended into a perfectly memorized speech. Bakura knew it was perfectly memorized, he'd been called to the mansion at three a.m. that morning to help Mokuba as the boy had gotten last minute anxiety and ran through it with him for several hours to make sure he was completely ready.

Mokuba loved being in front of people. Coordinating, judging, presenting, it was all right up his alley, but he devoted a lot of time and thought to being the absolute _best_ , and Bakura was beginning to see the trademark Kaiba obsession take root. Nothing subpar was good enough. He amusedly thought at four that morning that he wouldn't be surprised if Mokuba got himself all the way to the National Diet, or even got appointed as the Prime Minister himself.

Someone started snickering behind Bakura, and he turned around to see who was being so rude. Much louder and the whole auditorium would hear them. He furrowed his brow as he saw a delinquent from his grade obviously getting into trouble with another student. The two must've been attending because of their younger siblings.

Raising a finger to his lips, Bakura discreetly shushed them. He wouldn't let some punks be disrespectful during Mokuba's speech. Mokuba had worked really hard on it!

The student grinned and gruffly said," Bakura Ryoushin, right?" Adding the syllable made his given name sound like the word for "both parents".

Bakura clenched his teeth and politely corrected," Bakura Ryou." He didn't know if the other knew he had a single parent, but he wasn't going to rise to the slip even if it was intentionally hurtful.

"Okay, Bakara," he echoed incorrectly with a hissing laugh so it sounded like the word for "absurd".

Bakura rolled his eyes. Someone thought he was a regular clown. "Just quiet down. You're being rude."

"Really, pretty boy? You're going to tell _me_ what to do," he asked haughtily, grabbing Bakura's hair and pulling aggressively.

Grimacing as his head snapped back, he instinctively pulled away, tucking his chin and trying to resist the controlling pull on his head. His neck began to hurt quickly. What was with bullies and pulling at his hair? He could never cut it, but some days he really considered it.

Bakura could feel faintness coming on, and he grabbed at his chest in panic. He had to leave before something happened. He'd apologize afterwards. He had to get away before- he worried it was too late. He knew the guy's name, and had a rough idea of where he lived. They took the same train, he was the stop before Bakura's.

Snapping his head away, he pried the other's hand away from his hair with odd deftness and quickly left the auditorium. He wished he could have been more discreet, but he didn't have time. He had damage control to attend to.

He'd explain he got sick or something. He'd make it up to Mokuba with the largest ice cream cone he could find. He just desperately had to get away _now_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bakura has happily stepped into the role of Proud Parent of Tree Number 3. Mokuba could have no lines in a school play, and Bakura would still be cheering wildly for him in the crowd.


	3. Bait and Switch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No actual sexual content, but trigger warning for emotional manipulation during intimacy and phrasing reminiscent of non-con.

They'd decided on dinner the day after Kaiba got back from another business trip, but delicious five-star quality food was the last thing on his mind.

"I have to tell him," Bakura whispered to himself as he walked through the mansion's halls. The dark presence in his head pulsed, and Bakura shook away the sudden spike of pain behind his eyes. "He'd listen to me. I could explain…"

It was different now, but still all too familiar as one mind pressed against the other, forcing Bakura into the darkness. "I don't have time for uncertainties, landlord," the thief muttered to himself as he continued into the study. Kaiba was waiting for him, and the thief smiled softly, emulating the warmth he hadn't felt in a long time.

"I've been thinking about new strategies for dueling, would you help me run through them?" the thief asked as he walked up to Kaiba and embraced the other like he was pretty sure the standard was now.

Kaiba raised an eyebrow as he asked," You want to duel?" He reciprocated the hug but couldn't help getting a little lost in thought as he was already thinking about his latest deck revision and how that would play against Bakura's deck rather than _with_ it.

"Nothing serious!" The thief lied, raising his voice to catch that innocent tone he needed to pass off. "Just to see if I got the balance right for drawing."

Kaiba pulled away and nodded, his face taking on that slightly too serious calm. "Sure, a small duel would be perfect. They're working on our dinner now. I asked the chef to try a new recipe for chocolate mousse." While the other smiled, it wasn't enthusiastic, and Kaiba caught himself dwelling on it as he retrieved his deck. So Bakura wasn't completely excited for dessert… It was more than just a little odd, Kaiba thought as he returned, but not unfathomable.

He scrutinized Bakura discreetly, but couldn't find anything else out of place. Perhaps he was just getting jumpy, knowing he was going to be revealing rather big news at dinner. He didn't know how to broach the topic of the Millennium Items, but he knew he couldn't hide that they'd been excavated and that he'd spent a lot of money to make sure he had control of the Ring so that it wouldn't accidently fall into the wrong hands.

As they sat across from each other, Kaiba pulling his armchair to the other side of the coffee table from the couch, he noticed something else that just wasn't quite right. Bakura wasn't sitting how he usually did, he was too forward and confident. His shoulders hunched wrong, like they were tensed for battle, when Bakura was always calm before entering a duel with the slack shoulders of someone who cared less about if they won or lost and more about if they're dueling partner was having fun or learning.

Before Kaiba could comment, Bakura said eerily calmly," I can feel it in this room, Kaiba."

Kaiba narrowed his eyes, pretty sure he knew what the other was referring to.

"I think this calls for a small celebration. I believe this will be the first Dark Game since my RPG," he cooed, calling out to the Item so close he could feel it. The familiar haze began to encircle them, and the thief laughed. "You should see the look on your face," he informed Kaiba, watching as the other stood and looked around.

"You're…"

"I believe you've just been calling me the 'the thief'. I like it, the sense of mystery it captures," he laughed, clearly mocking Kaiba and Bakura for their choice in epithet.

"What about Bakura? Is he okay?"

"Of course he is, why would you think any differently?" the thief protested, adding a layer of umbrage to his voice that seemed forced. Kaiba didn't believe for one second that the thief actually cared. "It's good to see you again, president."

"It's been a while," Kaiba coldly replied," but while we didn't finish our last game, we'll finish this one. So this is Dark Game, is it? Kaiba affirmed to himself, recognizing the atmosphere. It was like many of the duels in the Battle City Finals, and the early duels with Yuugi that resulted in his penalties. The darkness swirled around them, and Kaiba felt lightheaded briefly.

"With a penalty, naturally."

"Then when I win, I can banish you," Kaiba stated, though it was actually a question.

"When you lose, you can face your greatest fear," the thief corrected, wagging a finger back and forth. "You're jumping ahead of yourself, though. We have a duel to play, and you have quite the opponent."

Kaiba frustratedly gave in with a curt, angry hum, and sat back down. He shuffled his deck quickly offering the thief to cut it. Not trusting the thief one bit, he took and shuffled his opponent's deck extensively. It was his right, and he would take it no matter how rude it may read outside of tournament.

The thief watched with an amused grin and clarified," Standard rules, let's make it four thousand life points, tribute summon, the whole deal."

They both agreed and the duel began swiftly. It became clear quickly by the numerous effect monsters and spell and trap cards, that Kaiba was facing a burn deck. With alternating Burning Skull Heads, that dealt 1000 life points each and could be rotated out of play and into the graveyard to be special summoned again to repeat their effect, and flip effect monsters like Poison Mummy chipping 500 points here and there, Kaiba was in a rush to overwhelm the field with strong monsters and end the duel quickly.

Kaiba was haunted by how the images of the monsters and other effects were so much more sinister than his holographic projections he'd created to emulate them. It took him back to his first duel with Yuugi, and a sinking dread pulled in his heart. Nothing could ever truly capture the horror of the real thing, even if his initial Battle Boxes had come close. The exertion of summoning more monsters and how it weighed on your soul, the pain when they died, and the exhilaration as they came to true life, ready to fight to the death for your honor.

Kaiba had to focus; he was getting distracted by recollecting his first Dark Game and its earth shattering penalty. Every monster summoned reminded him of his experience. Most of the very monsters were the ones in that illusion of death, and he had first hand experience what their fatal blows would feel like. The way Skull Flame's burning claws shredded through human skin with ease and melted bone like butter… How Minotaurus swung his ax with cleaving intent… Even the Blue Eyes White Dragon, and what the burst stream felt like as the sheer energy ripped every molecule of the body apart… Kaiba rubbed his eyes with one hand. He could handle this, he had to, and more damage was coming his way. He couldn't afford to let himself pointlessly ruminate.

"I activate Emergency Provisions," Kaiba declared after another blow from Burning Skull Head," And sacrifice two cards to gain two thousand life points." He'd anticipated this need as soon as he'd drawn the card and placed all of his magic cards face down to sacrifice. He sure would have liked to been able to use Fusion or Magic Sanctuary, but he had to value staying alive first. 

Even raising his life by half his starting total, by the time it was his turn again, Kaiba was back down to 600 life points. The thief wasn't much better, but he was taking out all of Kaiba's strong monsters with Bottomless Quicksand, and targeting the rest with cheap flips like Man-Eater Bug and sacrificial lambs such as Newdoria. Kaiba was relieved the continuous trap card would be destroyed unless the thief could increase his hand size by his next standby phase, but still, enough damage had been wrought.

It all came down to the chance that Kaiba drew Enemy Controller. The Burning Skull Heads that had been plaguing Kaiba all along were going to be the key to his victory! The thief had one on the field in face-up defense position, and Kaiba conveniently could switch it to attack mode, where it would only stand at a measly 1000 attack points. La Jin was enough to win him the duel.

Playing his monster, then his magic card, Kaiba smugly informed the thief," I'm glad you could have a nostalgic Dark Game to send you off." He pointed forth dramatically, uttering La Jin's name as he began to declare the attack, when he was interrupted.

" _No!_ " Bakura cried out, and though the eyes were fierce in their determination, they softened to reveal his Bakura was back in control. He'd dropped his cards in how frantically he held out his arms protectively, and Kaiba could just barely make out a second image of Bakura behind him, looking pained and angry as hell. Then confused as hell.

"His soul is too weak," Bakura continued assertively," If he suffers a penalty, he'll wither away."

"Bakura, this thief is what has caused you so many problems over the years," Kaiba reasoned, withdrawing his hand so his creature wouldn't get the wrong idea and attack without his consent. He couldn't inflict a penalty on Bakura. He didn't have to know the horror first hand.

Bakura smiled ruefully, and nodded. "He's been confused for a very long time. I couldn't ask you to go through a third penalty, Seto." Excitement danced in his eyes as he said the name. No one called Kaiba by his given name, but he'd wanted to for a long time. He figured on the off chance he never saw Kaiba again, he might as well go ahead and try it.

Surprise cried out in Kaiba's whole body, his shoulders tensed, his chest constricted, and his eyes grew wide as his pupils shrunk so quickly they shined impossibly brightly. It wasn't at the casual drop of his name, though that had been a light shock, it was at what he saw Bakura doing. His hand was dropping to his deck, and Kaiba couldn't reach his first.

"A penalty game has been started. Someone has to take the loss," Bakura said with jarringly bright eyes. He was trying to reassure Kaiba, let him see him at his best before the unknown claimed his mind. As his hand tapped the top of his deck, and the words " _I surrender_ " left his lips, the light in his eyes faded and he sank forward, his forehead hitting the table with concussive force.

Kaiba barely even noticed the darkness fade and reality slither into view as he was standing and rushing to the other side of the table. "Bakura! Please," he cried as he grabbed the other's shoulders and propped him up so he could see his face. His eyes were closed peacefully, a look of serenity eerily taking hold were it didn't belong. What was Bakura going through right now?

Picking up his lifeless body, Kaiba rested him down on the couch, trying to make him look as comfortable as possible. He knelt beside Bakura, combing the hair out of his face and staring stoically, trying to keep tears from falling. He didn't deserve this. He'd done nothing wrong. As Kaiba pulled out his phone to make arrangements for private care for his body while his mind overcame who knew what, Bakura sat up wearily, slinking forward to a pained hunch.

"Bakura!" Kaiba dropped his phone, both hands immediately to Bakura and rubbing his back reassuringly. Unrestrained joy crackled through his icy voice as he exclaimed," I thought you were-"

Bakura turned his head slowly to look Kaiba in the eyes. Kaiba stared back, but he wasn't looking at Bakura. That much was certain. " _You_ ," Kaiba accused, his words dripping with venom. "What did you do to Bakura?"

"My host made a sacrifice play, I couldn't help that," the thief scoffed, a much too relaxed expression on his face. "And now because of you, the landlord is missing in action. _Thanks_." It wasn't clear if the gratitude was sincere or sarcastic, or a mixture of the two, but his whole tone was generally vicious.

"He was more than just your host, you bastard," Kaiba snarled. "He cared about the world, and you used him over and over to try and destroy it." He could still remember the chaos of the Dark RPG, the desolated town filled with hurting people.

"Used, borrowed? The lines are always kind of unclear, you know," the thief said with a joking tone, rocking his hand to indicate a solid, _eh_.

Kaiba's fists automatically went for Bakura's lapels as he rose to his feet, holding him up slightly from his seat by the collar. A look of pure murder scorched through his blue eyes, and he roughly shook the other hoping to force away that gleeful expression that sat so cruelly on his face. "There is no grey and gray there. He actively fought you, he ran for his life from you."

"And he stole back the ring on more than one occasion to be with me," the thief said with a confident smirk. "Really murky waters _you're_ stepping in here, Kaiba, treating this body with such ready violence…"

Kaiba dropped Bakura with horrified eyes. 

Straightening his lapels and righting his jacket, the thief cleared his throat. "That's better." Such smug satisfaction came off him in waves, and he got to his feet and stretched.

"So, where is his soul," Kaiba asked darkly, still glaring daggers at the imposter.

"You know, I don't really know. Which is why you're going to give me the Ring."

Kaiba bristled, standing up and towering over the other, using all of his his height to loom imposingly. Tightening his fists at his side and grimacing, he bit out," Like hell I would give that thing back to you after all you've done!"

"I can sense it's close, and with three thousand years of experience, I can tell you that no lock will keep me away from it," the theif said assuredly, crossing his own arms like he had no concerns at all.

"Good luck finding it when I imprison you."

This earned a raised eyebrow and before the thief could start his offhand remark, Kaiba made painfully clear," You will be well fed, forced to exercise at regular intervals, and sleep soundly every night. You're body will pampered, but your mind will scream out in agony. I will see to it that every single thing you enjoy is stripped from you and your life will become a mind rotting _hell_. No harm will come to that body, but I can't say the same for your spirit."

"You're fairly intimidating," the thief said with a vaguely impressed nod, though not actually seeming the least bit frightened," but unfortunately, you need my help to find my dear host."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed and he stared down the overconfident thief. "I'm listening."

"Well, think about it. What does the Ring actually _do_?"

Kaiba thought back to the days before he believed all of this terrifyingly true nonsense. The Eye read people's minds, and the Tauk saw the future. He recalled vaguely that the Rod could be used to control people, but he didn't remember how he came across that knowledge. "I honestly have no clue. All I've seen it do is hold _you_." The way the word left his mouth, it was an insult.

"It locates your deepest desire, and points you in the right direction," the thief explained condescendingly, like that was obvious. "And I've some practice with it as you may have guessed."

"If that's what it does, I don't need your help. What good would your desire do me if I seek to save Bakura?"

"We share the same wish," the thief snapped diffidently.

" _You_ , want to save the person you've been torturing for years now?" Kaiba didn't buy it, and suspected an ulterior motive or bait and switch plan. Laughing dryly, he scoffed," You should know better than to lie to Kaiba Seto, CEO of KaibaCorp, who has had to deal with lying rats like you all his life."

The other deflated, his hands dropping to his pockets. From victoriously smug, to _this_ , he looked like an entirely different person. "I'm not lying," the thief said darkly, seeming to take umbrage.

"You'll forgive me if I don't take you at your word." How was Kaiba supposed to trust this spirit after all he'd learned from Bakura? How could Bakura forgive him, and even risk his life for this spirit that had only ever used him to exact revenge?

"Of course, of course," the thief dismissed with a brisk handwave. He couldn't blame the other for having reservations. "But you might change your mind when you get desperate." That edge to his voice was back, the assurance he was in control of the situation.

Kaiba sighed and paced a little before sitting in his armchair. Propping his head with one hand, he gestured to the other and asked," How are you even back? I saw Zorc struck down before me. Atem himself verified the evil of the Ring was gone."

Sitting on the couch roughly and spreading out across it confidently, Bakura smirked and said," It could be the evil was dispersed. However, I didn't come back until after you brought the Millennium Ring to this place, so near my precious host. So you ask yourself what that implies."

"That you shoved your soul into something else."

The thief rolled his eyes. "Always the pessimist." He put a hand to his heart and emulated doe eyes as he said," I could have changed."

"Unlikely."

"I like you. You don't pull any punches," the thief said with a broad laugh.

"If you're really so worried about Bakura too, how can you be so relaxed and joking?"

"Being dull won't change his predicament. Letting me help, will. Reunite me with the Ring, and I'll help find him." Bakura closed his eyes, folding his hands behind his head and pretending to relax. He didn't need Kaiba seeing how much pain he was in. He wasn't quite ready to control a body so long term yet.

Kaiba stared down the thief, contemplating his options. There weren't too many people he could reach out to, and he had no clue how help Bakura himself. He hummed in frustration as he finally decided he had no option but to give back the Ring. Standing up, he walked over to a large wall painting and revealed the safe behind it. It wasn't the most original hiding place, but it was discreet enough.

Typing in the sixteen digit code that then required a thumbprint, Kaiba opened the safe and reached inside, feeling the cold metal of the sole object hidden away. It chimed as he pulled it free, and the weathered rope hung in stiff curls how it had been buried. It seemed to grow warm in his hand unnaturally fast, and Kaiba was already beginning to regret his decision. He turned about, looking at the thief who had eyes only for the Millennium Item. He didn't seem very concerned, just avaricious.

Kaiba held out the pendent reluctantly, glaring daggers at the thief. If he thought he could pull a trick on Kaiba, he was wrong. Kaiba already had the room set to lockdown with solid steel doors if he should think for the briefest second someone would abscond with the Ring. As he held it out in front of him, the central prong of the Ring began to glow and pointed straight ahead. Kaiba rotated the ring ninety degrees curiously, finding the prongs switching out to the most convenient one to point at the thief.

Before he could withdraw it or say something, the thief quickly snatched it. He wasn't going to let Kaiba take it back just because he was surprised by the results. Still, he held it at chest level, clearly showing it still pointed at the same target. "Oh, yeah, by the way. I knew where he was the whole time, but as promised I've helped you find him after getting the Millennium Ring back."

"Why you," Kaiba clenched his teeth and tightened his fists. He was only further convinced that the thief was just pretending to care about Bakura. If he already knew where Bakura was, he should have started with that unless all he really cared about was himself and his Ring. "So, tell me then. Where is Bakura, and how do I save him?"

"Where he is, I can tell you. He's here," the thief said, his smile just a little jarringly wide as he pointed to his chest. "I can feel his soul in his soul room, resting just as normal." His smile faltered as he said a little timidly," but he won't wake up, even if I jostle his soul. The penalty was set as one's worst fear…"

"And he was afraid he would never wake up again," Kaiba concluded.

The barest hint of uncertainty knitted the thief's brow at these words but he quickly recovered his detached grin with hard set eyes. "Well, everyone has to fear something, huh?" He shrugged lightly, holding out his hands widely to show his nonchalance. He was not as composed as he played, but he was a great actor, and very concerned with hiding vulnerability. Those two facts guided most of his life.

Kaiba initially was going to aggressively demand something be done, that the thief magically conjure up the cure for Bakura. That he fix what he messed up, because if he hadn't come back, none of this would have ever happened. Kaiba could see the tension in the other's shoulders and the way he tucked his chin though, and he sighed. The other was as uncertain as he was. Firmly, but not so much as to come off bellicose, he asked," Can I see him?"

Crossing his arms, the thief scoffed," Not easily."

"How?" Kaiba asked with frustration. He didn't have time for this posturing. 

"Without the Millennium Key, it's going to be a bit of a trek. I can't take you right to his soul room, but mine connects to his." His grin grew to an uncomfortably wide smile again. "Do you know what a soul room is? It is the manifestation of your mind, and mine is that of the best tomb raider this world has seen. It will be a perilous journey, if you're up for the challenge. You'll surely need a guide."

Kaiba had reservations about trusting this spirit. This sounded just like the perfect setup to snatch his soul. With both Bakura and him out of the picture, the thief would be free. No one would ever know he was back. Mokuba would be left brotherless, and never know why.

"So, what do you say," the thief asked, extending a hand. 

"I'll need to see Mokuba first," Kaiba said, and added on with no room for negotiation," And you're eating a full meal." He kept his hands at his side. There was no need to shake on it; the thief was going to help him whether he liked it or not, and Kaiba had no intentions on making deals with the devil.

The thief huffed, sneering," Fine, take your time. Make him suffer more." He seemed a little agitated, like he was in a hurry but trying to hide it. He slipped the cord around his neck and buried his hands in his pockets and muttered something darkly, glaring at Kaiba.

Kaiba frowned, his intention was not to make Bakura suffer, but he couldn't risk his life without speaking to Mokuba first. He owed it to his brother to let him know _why_ if he fell into a coma again, and to explain what was worth chancing not waking up when he had a little brother who relied on him. He couldn't afford to make hasty decisions, not like he had before his heart was shattered.

Kaiba pulled out his mobile and speed dialed his head of security. "Bakura isn't feeling himself today. He is to be kept on full guard, and no matter his reasons, not be left out of sight by a minimum of two armed guards. Listen to nothing he says. See to it that he eats a full meal, and that no permanent harm comes to his body." It probably said something of his past that these orders were accepted without hesitation and soon a full armed unit was in his study.

"You can't just chain me up like some criminal and toss me in a dungeon. You _need_ me," the thief insisted with a look of disgust.

"Chain you up? That's a good measure," Kaiba apathetically echoed. "Get him restrained so that even Houdini himself couldn't escape, and spoon feed him. Careful, he has the nimble fingers of a thief." His men swarmed past him, apprehending the thief roughly. "Gently. Every scratch and bruise comes out of your check." As much as he feared the thief taking control of the situation, he worried for when Bakura reclaimed his body. Would it not be so different to wake up battered and bonded as starving and alone? Kaiba grimaced and carefully thought how he would proceed. For now, it would suffice. He was sure Bakura would not magically heal within the next thirty minutes.

"Brother....?" Kaiba turned about to face the egress of his study, seeing the very person he wanted to talk to. "Why are they arresting Bakura?"

Kaiba's scowl melted, though kept a serious tone. "It's not Bakura. We need to talk in private."

As they left the study, soon followed by a very loud angered thief being dragged to the kitchen, Kaiba quietly said," Like there were two of Yuugi, there are two of Bakura. That's the Dark Bakura, the soul of a thief from three thousand years ago."

Mokuba looked back curiously, and said," I thought all the Egyptian spirits passed on." He'd been at the ceremonial duel, and the others had clearly talked about Bakura's other soul being defeated.

"I had hoped so." Kaiba felt guilty for not taking Bakura's word. He'd been warned that the thief always came back, but hadn't believed him.

"It's in the ring, isn't it? The other Bakura?"

Kaiba stopped walking, a shocked expression gripping his face. No, no, _no_... 

Mokuba walked a few steps more before stopping and turning around. "What is it, brother?"

"I'm a fool. I left a Millennium Item with the bastard. He's going to rip the souls from all of guards and get away," Kaiba cursed under his breath. He needed to attend to that quickly, but he figured he might as well tell Mokuba the few important things he had to say. 

Getting down to one knee and resting a hand on Mokuba's shoulder, Kaiba smiled ruefully and said," I have to save Bakura. I hope I can save him. I don't even know if I can do anything once I find him, and this may all be a pointless risk.

"I'm going to work with the thief and enter their mind. Bakura's soul has fallen asleep, and I hope to be able to wake it. To enter his mind though, I have to go through the thief's, and I'm told it will be dangerous. I may never wake up again."

Mokuba's mouth dropped in horror and he quickly sputtered," Y-you can't let-"

"I don't want to risk my life, and I wouldn't pointlessly. This is the only way I might possibly help Bakura. You're too important to me for me to just throw my soul around, but this is a calculated risk. I trust you to take care of me and the business in my absence." How long would he be gone from reality? Minutes, days, weeks? If he failed, never?

Mokuba nodded grimly, holding back tears that gathered. "I protected KaibaCorp last time," he stated. "But I don't want you to be gone for another six months." This time there wasn't another Yuugi reassuring him that he would get his brother back.

"It won't take that long," Kaiba reassured his little brother, despite not actually knowing. He pulled Mokuba into a hug, surprised by how strong his little brother hugged back. He was getting so big. It seemed like only yesterday they were leaving the orphanage and Mokuba still had trouble opening heavy doors.

"I love you, Mokuba," he said softly.

"I love you, too. And I know why you're doing this," Mokuba said, his voice shaking. He was trying so hard to hold back his tears. "I just wish I could help. I don't want to lose you again, even for a day."

Rubbing Mokuba's back, Kaiba said resolutely," I'll be back before you know it." He pulled away, getting to his feet and heading for the kitchen. He knew if he looked at Mokuba or said anything more he wouldn't be able to go through with it. Bakura needed him too much to let that happen, so he walked briskly to the kitchen not sparing a look back at his brother, knowing full well Mokuba had to be hurting. 

His heart ached like it was already being ripped from his body.

Quickly walking to the kitchen, Kaiba quietly approached the doorway and peered in. Relief passed through him as he saw everyone still moving. "Dip it in the blood more. You can't expect me to eat dried out steak. You already cooked it way too much," the thief complained. He was restrained in a drab straightjacket and two belts kept his back to the chair. So much for something even Houdini couldn't escape.

As the cut of fillet mignon was shoved in his mouth without doing as he asked, the thief chewed a few times and spit it out at the feeder's face. Shouting, he demanded," _Blood!_ "

Making his presence known, Kaiba sauntered into the kitchen and calmly instructed," Give him what he wants. Let him eat a raw steak if he so chooses." Their selection of beef was fresh enough to not be too much of a concern. He just wanted Bakura's body well fed, and as soon and easily as possible.

"How kind of you to join me, Seto," the thief laughed.

"You will call me Kaiba," he stated darkly, his expression showing he was not in the mood to play around.

"Why of course, your highness Kaiba. I forgot you CEO's are practically pharaoh scum, letting the poor scamper at your feet and eat your scraps."

Kaiba laughed. He let himself revel in a full bodied laugh, watching as the cocky smile of the thief faded to confusion. "You don't even know what you speak of," he finally said as his laugh subsided. "How much KaibaCorp supports orphanages and underprivileged kids?" 

The thief raised an eyebrow and merely opened his mouth for another bite of steak. He chewed it contemplatively, seriously considering spitting it at the same guard, but ultimately swallowed it and sighed. With a dull expression, he deadpanned," So you have one charity write off for your taxes. I'm impressed."

Handwaving the thief, Kaiba said," We're not here to discuss me or my company's morals. Once you've eaten, we can get to business." 

It was a slow process, as the thief was only barely cooperative. Kaiba had some fillet mignon as well, thinking dully that he was supposed to be enjoying his favorite meal with Bakura. The tender steak didn't seem all that appealing as he ate it, looking at the deranged spirit inhabiting Bakura's body who refused to acknowledge table manners or even common courtesy. Kaiba owed these guards of bonus after today.

When they were both finished with the meal, Kaiba had the planned desert brought out, a chocolate raspberry mousse with square of dark fudge. The thief turned up his nose and said," I don't like sweets."

"I don't particularly care for them, either. Eat it anyways," Kaiba ordered, taking a small bite. He liked the tartness of the raspberry, which balanced the sweetness quite well. He grinned victoriously when the thief begrudgingly opened his mouth for a spoonful of mousse. When they both finished, Kaiba signaled for a butler to take their plates, and quickly said," Make sure the chef keeps the ingredients for this on hand. We'll be having it again soon." He and _Bakura_ would be having it again soon.

Done putting off the inevitable, Kaiba walked up to the thief who was still tied to his chair and said," Shall we, then?"

The thief stood up easily, fluidly kicking the chair back as he slid down to his knees, turning his head sideways so his chin wouldn't catch the belts that were now apparently loose. He smiled widely at the many guns that snapped to alert, enjoying the chorus of panic as all the guards flipped their safeties off. Kaiba predictably signaled them to drop to attention and watched the thief continue.

With one thrash to the side, the thief was able to slide his right arm up and over his head, freeing his arms. He skipped over his conjoined sleeves to allow easier access to the straps and relaxedly began working at the buckles. He undid more than just the base belt since he obviously had time on his side, but grew bored by mid back. "I'm sure glad they didn't have straight jackets back in Ancient Egypt. Just _how_ would I have ever been able to make my daring escapes," he mocked, leaning forward and ripping off the jacket in one go. His hair got caught in some of the buckles, but he just violently shook his head until he was free, losing a little hair in the process. It didn't bother him any.

"If you're done showing off, we have some important business to attend to," Kaiba said, donning a voice of being unimpressed.

The thief laughed, but cut himself short as a look of shock overcame him. "I… I may have…" He took a few careening steps forwards, his eyes glazing over halfway through, and fell to the ground lifelessly.

Kaiba couldn't help himself from crying out Bakura's name, though he immediately berated himself internally that this was not Bakura. That didn't stop him from swiftly kneeling beside Bakura's body and tenderly running his hand through his hair, as if he could somehow comfort the one he cared for. He didn't understand, and he feared the worst. If the thief had somehow dissipated, was Bakura gone forever?

He was relieved by the faint heartbeat he found, checking for signs of life. It gave him hope, even if he didn't actually know the correlation between a soul and life. Kaiba gingerly picked Bakura's body off the floor, carrying him to the master bedroom where we kept spare clothes for Bakura. The guards started to follow, but he shook his head for them to stay behind.

Reaching the lavish bedroom, Kaiba set the comatose body on the bed. Kaiba flinched back as he did, seeing Bakura's eyes were still open, vacantly staring ahead. He gently shut the other's eyes and set to retrieving a set of pajamas, changing the other. Kaiba took special care to keep the Millennium Ring in place, almost treating it like a beacon for the thief if his soul was away.

He didn't know how long the thief would rest, he hoped he was just resting, and wanted to keep everything as comfortable as possible. Who knew, Bakura might be taking back control. It was wishful thinking, Kaiba knew, but he also changed to pajamas and curled into bed, pulling the other close how Bakura liked to be cuddled.

Bakura's heart was just strong enough to pass off as a deep sleep, and Kaiba closed his eyes and let himself dream. His hand instinctively ran through the long, white hair while he hugged Bakura close.

~~  
~~

"Kaiba," Bakura's voice called out with concern. "He didn't hurt you did he?"

Kaiba opened his eyes wearily, feeling sluggish like he wouldn't wake up fully soon. He smiled with relief and set his chin on Bakura's head as he hugged him close. Pulling away slightly so he could look into Bakura's eyes, he quickly began to assure him. "No, of course not. I promised you that he," Kaiba's words fell away from his lips as he looked down at Bakura's expression. Those weren't Bakura's eyes. Those were the hard set eyes of the thief. Angrily, Kaiba pushed the thief away, feeling violated that he would dare impersonate Bakura.

The thief mocked sadness before smirking. "I can see why he's so fond of you. That was quite nice."

"Shut up," Kaiba furiously ordered. "Just do whatever you're going to do and let's find Bakura." His anger flickered to fear as a sinister smile took over the thief's face and he reached ominously for Kaiba's face.

"Don't scream," were the thief's last words as his hand covered Kaiba's mouth tightly and Kaiba felt his soul be ripped out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Guess who's back, back again?_   
>  _The thief is back, warn your friends._


	4. Molten Gold

Kaiba was sitting in sand, a rough wind slowly burying him. He was about waist deep now, his knees poking out in front of him. Holding a hand to his aching head, he tried to look around. A desolate desert was all he could see in any direction, but as he looked up to the sky, a certain depth of a final edge could be vaguely discerned. 

As he looked longer, his eyes began to adjust and he could clearly see the bubble like edge of the world he was now in. Molten gold seeped ominously from the edges of space, pooling at the sand below, but never collecting more than a small moat's worth. A fence of small stones held the gold back, and Kaiba realized darkly that they were headstones. There had to be around one hundred of them, and Kaiba looked around to verify that they completely encircled him aside from one imposing door.

"Are you just going to sit there all day? The sand _will_ eventually bury you," the thief snarked, offering a hand up. He looked quite different from how Kaiba expected to see him. He was tan with a thick scar on his cheek, and his hair was shorter, not to mention the flashy, red cloak. The appearance felt familiar, though Kaiba didn't remember seeing it himself. Kaiba looked down to see he was in his favorite white trench coat outfit.

Kaiba hummed to himself and accepted the hand, pulling himself up. It was difficult with all the sand, especially since this sand clung and dragged at his body even as he cleared the top layer. It was arid and hard to breathe, and Kaiba noted the twilight had no source as no horizon held the orange, sinking glow of the sun.

"Are we in your soul room?" he asked, observing how bleak it was.

"A part of it."

"Why does my head hurt?"

With a hesitant grimace, the thief amended," That… would be _our_ head."

"What do you mean?"

The thief shrugged and said," Well, I wasn't lying when I said this would be a chore without the Key. The Ring can't just let you visit freely. It can only seal souls like all the other Items can. So I sealed your soul here, so you can walk around through our rooms. A bit of a loophole."

"Let me guess, one human isn't meant to carry three souls," Kaiba muttered. If this was hurting Bakura…

"Three _full_ souls? No, that's a bit taxing, but don't worry, we'll all just have a migraine when this is all over."

Kaiba didn't believe the thief, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He would just have to hurry and find Bakura so that they could all return to where they were supposed to be. With firm resolve, he headed for the only door, only realizing how massive it was as he approached. There was no visible pulley system, and Kaiba roughly estimated the solid stone door at a little under thirty tons. Already, he was stuck.

Kaiba could hear the the thief behind him running in the animated sand and turned towards him. "I assume you can open this door?"

The thief just gestured to push, and Kaiba did so, falling through into the next room as the door made way too easily. A hand brusquely pulled him back by the collar and just in time as darts whizzed past Kaiba's face, centimeters away from hitting.

"Careful. If you die in here, you die in the real world," the thief warned.

Jerking away from the choking though helpful grasp, Kaiba fell the rest of the way to the coarse stone. "Oh? And what about you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know."

Kaiba took that as a "yes" in the "would definitely die" category. He pushed himself back to his feet and looked ahead at the thin catwalk above a pit of snakes. The snakes were pale, and reminded Kaiba of Diabound from back when he dueled the thief before the Ultimate Dark Game. The catwalk was made of the same stone as the hall they were in, but it seemed to be falling apart.

"So what happened to you back there, after the escape artist stunt?"

The thief humphed and admitted," I'm stretching my soul a bit thin right now. I over exerted myself. Just start walking." He was clearly embarrassed, and Kaiba didn't let the opportunity go.

"Oh? A little frail right now?"

"I said start walking," the thief argued, his brow knitting in anger.

Kaiba took one step towards the thief and said darkly," No one tells Kaiba Seto what to do." He didn't care if he was in someone else's soul room.

The two stared each other down for a few moments, but they both gave in at the same time, silently deciding that Bakura was more important than they're growing loathing of each other. The thief naturally took lead, and the catwalk soon broke off into a maze, every couple of meters filled with some kind of trap that the thief had to show Kaiba how to get past.

"Why are there so many traps in your soul room," Kaiba muttered, not quite complaining, but definitely on the border.

The thief debated even acknowledging the question, but eventually decided to say," I didn't lead a very easy life. These are all traps I've survived." More or less that was true. A lot of the lesser points in his life, the five years in slavery, the twelve years of standard grave robbing, were pretty blurred together memories after millennia of decay. They were much clearer now than they'd been before enter Memory World, but he still couldn't account for all the traps laid out in his soul room.

Kaiba looked to the walls around him, noticing they were beginning to gain hieroglyphs and grand murals. He couldn't make heads or tails of the glyphs, but the paintings were pretty gruesome. The thief turned his head back and complained," You're slowing down." He caught sight of the other observing the murals and stopped abruptly, almost knocking his distracted guest down. "Stop reading my history," he ordered, it not occurring to him that Kaiba wouldn't be able to flawlessly read ancient glyphs. They seemed natural to the thief.

"Your history?" Kaiba echoed. He looked back at a far painting of a man resembling this iteration of the thief holding the Millennium Ring high with a darkness surrounding him. Made sense. The next painting was of him facing someone bearing a strong resemblance to the Black Magician. Next, being chained and walked behind a horse. He noticed the man seemed younger in the next painting, and younger still in the next.

"Keep it up, and I'll rip your eyes from their sockets. Stop looking at them," the thief threatened.

Kaiba trained an amused glare on the thief and asked," Will you really? What's wrong, embarrassed?"

"How would you like if I were waltzing through your memory lane?"

Remembering that he had never seen his own soul room, and that they might very well pass through it together, Kaiba frowned slightly. "I have nothing to hide," Kaiba decided out loud. He'd done some pretty wicked things, but they were well known for the most part. That was the life of a celebrity in the modern age. It was simply best to own up to what you could and bury the rest, but with the great likelihood of it being dragged back out anytime it was convenient for the press. The things that he was too ashamed of or that were too dark for the press were known to everyone he currently cared about. For the first time in his life, he truly wasn't a man of secrets. Until the Ring came back.

"It must be nice," the thief said, roughly pushing Kaiba back by the shoulders. He watched as Kaiba stumbled, coming dangerously close to falling. Some crumbling stone fell to the pit below, and an uproar of angry hissing erupted from the snakes. The thief's eyes were wide and his mouth was pulled into a snarl. "Some people never got that chance to live in luxury, having to resort to the only skills they had to just to survive," he continued, his voice harsh and accusing.

"You think I lived in luxury," Kaiba echoed calmly, noting how volatile the other was. Keeping a cool head would only help him here, the thief was livid enough for the both of them. "I grew up in an orphanage, and was adopted by the sickest man I've ever met." Kaiba smoothly walked past the thief, glad to put some more distance between him, the cold-blooded killer, and the ledge. His wrist was grabbed though, and he had to put all of his weight into not being pulled around by the thief. He had the advantage of height and weight on the thief, but the scrawny thief had a lifetime of practical self defense and skills honed for silent offense against trained guards that were well fed.

The thief tugged until Kaiba looked him in the eye, and he argued," At least you ended up with someone to care for you."

"Mokuba and I would have been better off on the streets."

"Now _you_ speak of what you don't know. I _lived_ on the streets, when I wasn't busy being sold into slavery or traded for a gambling debt!" His memories were so vivid now, after that game, and it felt like a fog had been lifted from his mind, one that only made him more confused. Experiences were disjointed, and they didn't fit together quite right, but these walls used to be empty, and now they held the grim story he'd been living all this time. He bore the scars again that had faded over the thousands of years, though they had hurt just as much, now they had memories attached. "At the age of twelve, I had the decision every boy looks forwards to. Continue being a slave or run for your life and probably die? The streets were welcoming, filled with famine and sunburn."

"So you became a thief? That's a far cry from what you are now," Kaiba spat. "Now you're a monster." His tendency to escalate couldn't have picked a worse time to reveal itself. A solid fist made contact with Kaiba's stomach, and he could only return a halfhearted elbow strike to the thief's jaw before he felt his instep being stomped and cried out in pain. Out of breath and coiling up from residual aching, Kaiba was still with it enough to see a blade out of the corner of his eye, and used the thief's grip on his arm to pull both of them to the ground.

He took an accidental elbow to the diaphragm and knee to the groin in the fall, coupled with the full weight of the thief in general and the snap of his head on the stone bridge... Kaiba was done fighting. 

He closed his eyes and groaned, only marginally relieved by the weight being removed. He hated it, but he couldn't help but curl up on his side now that he was free. He felt a rise of nausea and did his best not to show it.

"When I five, I watched my whole village slaughtered before me, each of their bodies dispassionately tossed into a cauldron and melted into the gold that made the Millennium Items. It went on for seven nights, and everyone was so scared. I was only five, I couldn't do anything to save them," the thief's voice was much calmer now, though taught and despondent. "I hid away as they took my parents away, lining them up and slaughtering them like the rest.

"They defiled their bodies, a-and killed them so brutally before melting them all into the Items. Only the Ring rose from the ground immaculate of their sacrifice. I can still remember their screams," the thief's voice broke and Kaiba had no doubt he was crying softly, the same way Bakura did, where the sobs only voiced themselves if he tried to talk. 

"We were a peaceful town of people trying to make a better life for ourselves! Too far west of the Nile to have good crops, and with too bad a reputation to do good trade, life was hard, but we all worked together. Mrs. Fukayna's nose had been lobbed off for adultery, and my father was missing all of his fingers but two for theft. My mother couldn't walk right after her beatings for extortion and the gnarled scars it left, but she still played tag with me. 

"They were all trying to pull together a normal life for us, and put the past behind them. A lot of good that did them, though! The pharaoh's men came and butchered them. I'm not a monster. People like the pharaoh are! Taking away the posterity of a rundown village for some power just so he could beat other nations into submission."

The thief dropped to the ground, his cloak cracking like a whip at the sudden motion. Kaiba opened his eyes wearily, taking in the sight of thief having pulled his legs close and tucking his head to his knees. Kaiba's vision was a little star filled at first, but it cleared and he could see telltale signs that the thief was indeed crying. His shoulders bounced jaggedly, and he covered his face the best he could.

"That explains what you've done, but it doesn't excuse it," Kaiba dispassionately informed him. "You worked with Zorc to obtain more power, just like the pharaoh created the Items for the same. You attacked innocent people with reckless abandon, and planned to obliterate all life on Earth. I watched you murder innocent children, running for their lives and full of fear. How does that make you any different?"

The thief looked up with swollen eyes and shouted," No human is innocent. We're all murdering, lying, extortionists, just waiting for our chance to rule over others."

It took great effort, but Kaiba pushed himself to sitting up, and glared at the thief. "It's true that many are, but there are people in this world who try to do good and fix the utter garbage our world is, and there are people like you who only make it worse."

"You're one of the ones who made it worse, aren't you," the thief egged, still crying but a cocky smile coming to his face. "I can see it in your eyes. You've taken lives in cold blood. You've disposed of those who weren't useful to you anymore and reaped what they sowed." A crazed laugh racked through him, playing off the sobs and coming off warbled.

"I've changed," Kaiba quietly stated. "And I never claimed not to be guilty."

Kaiba looked to the ground, scratching idly at the stone with his nail. It flaked and came apart easily, and Kaiba felt perhaps he didn't need to further the decay of the only thing keeping from them from excruciating death. A nagging thought pulled at him, and he mutedly admitted," It took me a long time to realize how much I was hurting the one I loved. My little brother has always been everything to me. I rose to power just so I could protect Mokuba, and I wasn't even bothered when my adoptive father committed suicide in front of me because of it. I was made into a bitter misanthrope, who cared about nothing coming out on top in everything. Battles, business, life. Yet, I couldn't see that the person I loved the most, the person I'd spent my whole life protecting, was suffering… because of me."

It took two penalty games to realize, and the realization almost hurt enough to flat out deny it. After Yuugi saved Mokuba and himself from Pegasus, Kaiba came to terms with with what he'd become. He'd thanked Yuugi then, but he could never thank Yuugi and Atem enough. It sickened him to look back just years ago to when he'd had no qualms risking Mokuba's life in Death-T, and that he'd even sentenced his little brother to the simulated Penalty Game. It had seemed right at the time, that he was teaching him a lesson and it couldn't be helped that it would probably scar him. Kaiba closed his eyes and grimaced at the guilt that turned his stomach.

"If you're insinuating-"

Kaiba interrupted," Do you really care about Bakura?" He opened his eyes and looked right into the thief's. His sanguine eyes were rigid with anger, his brow pulled together and his eyes narrowed from how his nose crinkled in disgust. There was something softer there too, but the thief was good at hiding his true expression.

"I've put up with dealing with you to try and save him, isn't that proof enough," the thief snarled.

Kaiba tried to stand, but he was too sore. His foot didn't want to support his weight, and even moving his legs made him ill. Sighing and staying put, he darkly informed the thief," Then you have a lot of changing to do." Who was he to deem someone incapable of change? He did know with no sliver of doubt that the thief would have to change radically if he ever wanted to be more than an abusive force in Bakura's life, but then, so had he to become a good big brother again.

"I think we should both rest for now," the thief said, pointedly ignoring Kaiba's words. Even though he had come out massively on top in that little fist fight, he was in just as bad of shape as Kaiba. He didn't show it as much, but such a small fragment of his soul could only handle so much punishment before being worn out to the point of difficulty moving.

"Is it safe here?" Kaiba asked, despite not being able to go anywhere even if it wasn't.

"As much so as anywhere else. No fire is a plus."

Kaiba accepted this and sank back to his side, closing his eyes readily.


	5. Biting Grip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for pretty brutal injury. It's not too graphically described, but it's not exactly left up to the imagination either.

A rough jarring to his abdomen was how Kaiba woke. The thief was shoving him with his foot, not minding how incredibly sore he was. "We should get moving," the thief callously said, beginning to walk forward and leave Kaiba behind. 

Kaiba gritted his teeth and pushed himself to his feet, feeling only a little better than he had before. It was disorienting how he had no concept of how much time had passed, if any at all.The eerie twilight of the first room seemed to follow them in here, even though the tomb should have logically had torches or some other means of light.

He wondered if this was how Bakura felt after waking up from the other's control, a complete lack of temporal coherency. He wondered if this was how the thief had felt the thousands of years before he came into Bakura's hands.

"Are you coming?" the thief complained, but there was no real substance to the grumbled question. The thief slowed his walk as he noted Kaiba couldn't keep up. It wouldn't do any good to lose the other now. He stopped at the next trap and sighed. There was no way in Kaiba's condition he was going to be able to cross the rope challenge, and if one of them failed, they both failed.

Kaiba didn't like the sight of the thief staring pensively to the pit below. That could only mean bad news. As he came up behind him, Kaiba asked," What's wrong?" He saw a few small nooses ahead, and the catwalk broke off until the ropes ran out.

"What would you guess is down there?" He pointed to a raised slab that was just out of the snakes' reach.

Kaiba peered over the edge and thought quietly to himself. He saw a pale powder that surely couldn't just be dust. "Some kind of poison," he guessed.

"Right, a light dust that if it even mixes in the air, we'll die shortly after."

Kaiba hummed in frustration. "Splendid."

The thief had every trap and path memorized, from where the headwires were to each pressure plate. He knew that the second and sixth ropes were falsely tied and would plummet if any weight was put on them. He knew there was no other way to the hall between his room and his hosts expect past this trap.

Stretching his muscles lightly, the thief asked calmly," Do you trust me?"

"No."

Laughing, the thief kept warming up. "Too bad." Once he was ready, he stepped uncomfortably close to Kaiba, lining his shoulders from Kaiba's hip to chest. The other tried to ask what the hell he thought he was doing, but the thief easily slipped his lower hand between his legs and cupped behind the knee while his other yanked Kaiba's arm to his chest. "Oy, stop moving," he complained as he righted himself and and nearly toppled from the big lug's incompetence. "You're not exactly light, you know." For someone who was practically skin and bones, Kaiba weighed a lot. Stupid tall people and their tall ways. The thief definitely wasn't bitter about his height.

Kaiba realized what the thief intended to do, and stopped his panicked squirming. "Do you really think you can get both of us across?"

"Well, we'll get to the other side in some manner, any ways," the thief mumbled, taking labored steps closer to the edge of the stone path. Passing Kaiba's arm to the hand behind his knee, the thief freed up a hand and cautiously shifted his weight so he could test the rope in front of him. With a firm tug, he made sure it would still bear weight. Sighing, he muttered," Here goes nothing."

Slipping one foot into the noose and starting forth, he squeezed his eyes and gritted his teeth at the pain of the noose constricting around his foot with all the weight of two men. It was normally enough pain to discourage someone from continuing further with one person, but this was unbearable.

"Hold us to this rope," he ordered, relieved that Kaiba was intelligent enough to do as he was told. Letting go and falling forwards, he skipped the second and caught the third rope and quickly slipped his other foot into the loop. As he transitioned all of his weight off his first foot and curled it in on itself, he had a free foot again. "Next!" He called, and they seamlessly began to cross. He couldn't afford to slow down and think about the pain.

As he cleared the seventh and last rope, he kneeled and deposited Kaiba roughly to the ground. It was the gentlest he could while he was falling to his knees and grabbing at his feet. Rolling onto his back, he cursed as he felt the mangled mess his feet were. His soft shoes would only become constricting as his feet began to swell, so he took them off and discarded them to the side.

"Baku- Thief… Are you okay?" Kaiba asked as he sat up, hunched over. He tucked his legs to the side, not feeling up to sitting seiza or crossing them.

The thief gingerly massaged his feet, hissing at the pain as he affirmed he'd definitely crushed some bones. "You can call me Bakura. The world won't end. So does everyone else."

"I'm not everyone else, and you're not Bakura."

"So what did you call Atem as you dueled him?"

Kaiba shrugged. The fact that there were two Yuugi's had never come up while he actively fought them. "That was different. I didn't know he was someone else."

"I feel special," the thief said, mocking a heartfelt expression of gratitude. It fell apart as he came across another broken bone and swore in agony.

"The other Yuugi was Atem. Don't you have a name?"

"I forgot," the thief answered dully, finishing his untrained assessment of his feet and sighing. "Hey, sit in front of me," he ordered brusquely, folding his hands and propping his head on them.

Kaiba obliged, scooting closer and not being surprised when the thief's feet undelicately swung up and rested across his thighs. He frowned and noted how the feet were already starting to discolor in a pattern that showed the bruising was very deep. maroon splotches already outlined most of the arches and crept towards the heel, with thick purple lines beginning to outline misplaced bones. "You won't be able to walk like this."

"No kidding," the thief spat.

"What do you even do for a doctor as a metaphysical being?"

"Anything that doesn't outright kill you will heal over time," the thief handwaved, but he didn't sound too happy about it. If Kaiba's injuries were anything to go by, it was a slow process.

"So if Atem remembered his name through the RPG, why didn't you?"

"I wasn't anybody special. I didn't have a tomb proudly displaying my name." He looked away, spitting at the pharaoh's name. A small chorus of surprise rose from the snakes below.

Kaiba hummed in acknowledgement, and looked around idly. He'd let the thief take a break after a stunt like that. They'd crossed a lot of ground, and the murals now depicted a child. A child about Mokuba's age, he'd guess. He didn't dwell on them, dropping his gaze as he saw images he knew the thief wouldn't want him to see. Slavery was never pretty.

After a while, Kaiba asked," How far do we have left?"

"That was the last trap, but it's a good five minute walk to the hall, and the distance always varies from there, but usually about eighty meters to his room," the thief answered, chewing on his lip afterwards. "You'll have to leave me. I won't be able to walk."

Gently setting his feet to the side, Kaiba rose to his feet. He felt a little better now, not great but not like he might throw up either. "I'll carry you."

The thief scoffed," After all that show of being so pained you could barely walk?"

Kaiba steeled himself and said," I won't leave you behind." He was a lot less certain he could carry the thief than he wanted to come across.

"Very well," the thief agreed unenthusiastically. "But I'll be down right pissed if you drop me." And probably dead if he couldn't react in time and fell to the snakes.

Kaiba regretted his confidence as he bent down to pick up the thief. His vision swam and his stomach rolled. He couldn't back down now though; his pride would never recover. Grabbing either arm and hoisting up as he turned around, he pulled the thief against his back held him slouched over, an arm on either side of his neck being held firmly in place. The thief cried out initially, his weight momentarily being made to rest on his feet, but Kaiba was tall enough that his draped body didn't reach the ground.

Crossing his arms around Kaiba's chest, the thief instinctively pulled himself into a slightly more comfortable position and curled his legs around Kaiba's waist. He was nimble enough to grapple like this if he wasn't injured, and he wasn't going to let Kaiba's lack of practice leave him uncomfortable. He kept himself from locking his ankles together like he usually would, but his his grip was strong enough he held himself up.

Kaiba felt a little ridiculous, being climbed on by a half-naked man, but didn't let it show. Keeping his stoic expression, he merely adjusted his arms to support the piggyback and started walking. He couldn't help but let his eyes wander and look at the last few murals. He felt sick at the imagery as he got to the part in the thief's history that was no doubt the creation of the Items.

The simple figures and distinct colors only brought out how morbid it was, and Kaiba regretted looking. He didn't want to feel bad for the person he hated. He didn't want to pity the homicidal spirit that had tried to destroy the world and had so intimately hurt Bakura.

As they reached a stone door, Kaiba harshly kicked at it, ready for when it gave way too easily. The dark hall before them was eerie, and damp fog that reminded Kaiba of the clutching sand rolled forth, grabbing at his coat. From the dusty dryness of the tomb to the misty corridor, Kaiba felt like he'd entered an entirely different world. WIth a bold step into the otherworldly fog, Kaiba hurried to the next room.


	6. Soul To Squeeze

Kaiba made it a few dozen meters before he stumbled and only just caught his footing. "I need to rest," he admitted, carefully kneeling and tipping back so the thief could safely dismount without use of his feet. He sat across from the thief, back against the cold, stone wall, and tried to do some breathing exercises to regulate his heart rate. He gave up quickly and let himself pant, feeling too exhausted to care if the thief saw him vulnerable.

"Not exactly a marathoner, now are you?"

Kaiba shook his head dismissively. "I don't like to run, I'd rather fight."

The thief chuckled. "You've never ran from angry tomb guards. That's a fun run." The thief especially missed running from guards in a crowded market place. Messing with them, parkouring this way and that, passing off other people as their target. He'd lost his trademark cloak a few times in the hustle, but it was worth it every time.

Wiping his brow, Kaiba affirmed," No, I haven't. I'll have to take your word on it."

"It shouldn't be too much longer before we reach his room," the thief commented, measuring how long they'd been walking against the few times he'd bothered to make the journey.

"Good."

A silence fell upon them, and Kaiba noted uneasily it wasn't awkward. It felt as natural as when he and Bakura spent hours together not saying a single word. It was different for sure, Bakura's focused contemplation felt more introspective, whereas the thief stared down the hall pointedly, his pensive glare coming across vexed.

"You're staring at me," the thief commented without looking his way to confirm his accusation.

"There's not a whole lot to look at." The hall was bleak, the desolate fog that desperately tugged at their clothes being the only interesting sight. The walls were standard castle fare, and the floor wasn't any more eye catching.

"Why did you save me." It was stated more like an allegation than a question, like he was trying to drag out the foul play or ulterior motives for such an act. When Kaiba didn't answer, he turned his nettled gaze to Kaiba and looked him straight in the eyes. "You don't trust me. You don't even like me."

"Bakura does, and that's enough." He wouldn't know how to break the news to Bakura should he ever wake. _Oh, yes, while you were sorting out your penalty game, I let the Spirit of the Ring die_ , would go over just swimmingly, he was sure. Kaiba was also completely at a loss on how to get his soul back to his body, and would surely require the thief's help. Most importantly though, he'd actually felt for a moment that there was something more than just raw anger and bloodlust like he'd made out the thief to be. The ropes stunt had only furthered that uncomfortable thought.

The thief narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Kaiba heedlessly. "When did the two of you get so buddy buddy, anyhow?"

Kaiba raised an eyebrow with an amused smirk. He wouldn't describe his relationship with Bakura as 'buddy buddy'. He didn't answer, enjoying the expectant look on the thief's face slowly changing to annoyance.

"I've never known you to be a man of so few words, Kaiba. C'mon. Had you guys ever even spoken before?" _I left?_

"As far as I'm aware, we never directly spoke. The few times I remember speaking to him, was actually with you."

The thief shrugged with a lopsided grin, like the whole possession thing was just a normal circumstance. His expression dropped to a neutral as he went back to staring down the hall. He seemed deep in thought, and Kaiba was content to let him quietly brew about whatever it was so he could rest. 

Kaiba felt utterly drained in every sense. His head still buzzed lightly, like an alarm was left on in the back of his head and was ready to flare into a headache at any trigger. The fear of losing Bakura, the guilt of abandoning Mokuba, everything to do with dealing with this capricious spirit… He was as emotionally drained as he was physically, and he currently felt like he'd finished climbing Mt Fuji after pulling an all nighter to cram in fight club. Kaiba's eyes closed and he didn't even bother lying to himself that it'd just be for five minutes.

"How do you run a business with how much you sleep?" the thief egged, drawing Kaiba out of his nap.

It was ironic to hear that, when the person they were trying to save often criticized how _little_ he slept. Rubbing at his eyes wearily, Kaiba tried to come up with a snappy comeback but just sighed. The sooner this was over, the better. Then he only had the arduous task of figuring out how to handle the thief's return.

Not looking up, Kaiba asked," How are your feet?" Kaiba gingerly patted down his abdomen, pleased to find he was only a little tender. Still sore, but only to the touch.

"See for yourself."

Kaiba looked over stoically, steeling his gaze as he came across even more colorful feet that were both swollen to easily double their normal size.

"The bones are beginning to click back in place," the thief added, probably for no other reason than to try and gross the other out.

Kaiba got to his feet and stretched out his legs. They were stiff from the cold, damp air. Closing near the thief, Kaiba bent down and offered his hands. He pulled the thief up into a piggyback again, and commenced the final stretch to Bakura's soul room. A plain elevator door came into sight on the left hand side of the corridor, and he stopped by it.

"That must be yours," the thief commented. "Or my landlord has changed a lot since I've been gone."

Kaiba took in the sleek design and commented," It looks like the central elevator in our corporate headquarters."

"You're married to your job, aren't you, president?" The thief wryly remarked, resting his chin on Kaiba's shoulder. Kaiba could feel the low rumble of the other's throat as he chuckled lightly and irritatedly jerked his shoulder so the thief's jaw jarred itself. 

"That was rude," the thief complained, curling one arm around Kaiba's neck loosely so he could lean back and rub his jaw with a free hand. After a few seconds of silence and not taking a single step, the thief prompted," Well, are we going to go in or not?"

Kaiba hummed curtly and continued to walk towards Bakura's room.

"What, not even a peek? You're not curious about your own soul room?"

"Whether I am or not, it's not important right now," Kaiba dismissed. He had his priorities in order, and Bakura's well being vastly outweighed seeing some fancy room that claimed to represent his personality or whatever nonsense it strictly did. The idea of it kind of unsettled him anyways. He wasn't sure what he would find. A nagging thought told him it would be stark and stained by his past, and he didn't need to confirm that.

Not much further was a door made of dark wood and thin silver embellishments. As Kaiba readied to kick it in lightly, the thief interjected," Ah! This door isn't so easily opened."

Compared to the last two doors, this door looked flimsy. Confident the thief could hold himself up, Kaiba briefly stopped supporting his legs and started to fiddle with the door. The ornate handle didn't want to turn, and when it finally did with a reluctant, rusty sound, the door refused to budge. It took all of his weight to get the door to stutter forward, and he didn't bother opening it any wider than absolutely necessary.

The fog dissipated as he entered, but the air was still wet and chilled. The ground was gritty, like the entrance of a store after a heavy rain. Kaiba looked around at the familiar shelves of miniatures, and saw a few other things nestled between the figures. The occasional book, many dark titles that promised paranormal stories but a few were less dreary fantasy titles, and one atypical book stood out from the rest: _A Book of Five Rings_. Few mirrors of interesting shapes were propped in various locations, but none of them reflected the person looking into them.

Scanning the room quickly, Kaiba quickly found Bakura. Stepping up onto a giant planchette, Kaiba set the thief down before closing the distance and sitting on the edge of the cavity one would traditionally read letters through on a talking board. Bakura was nestled in the trench, curled up and looking peaceful, if a little cold. His plain striped shirt and slacks weren't enough to combat the cool air.

Kaiba reached out tentatively, resting his hand on Bakura's shoulder and squeezing gently. Bakura didn't respond, and Kaiba tried not to show raw disappointment. The cynical part of him thought that this was all pointless magic and that nothing he did would do any good, but a small piece of him had truly believed that just being reunited with Bakura's soul would be enough. He softly shook Bakura's shoulder, still getting no response.

The thief crawled over, taking the other side of the pit. A somber pout pulled at his lips, and his brows knitted in confusion. "I don't get it. I can feel him right here," he murmured, hand spreading over his heart. "But it's like he's not here."

Kaiba thought over his words and closed his eyes, thinking to that buzzing in the back of his head. He could feel it too, he realized as he focused really hard. The presence of two others pressing against his consciousness. They were both faint like the obligatory contact on on a crowded train where everyone was doing their best to not touch their neighbor, but there was no helping it. The exact feeling was hard to pin down, but either soul definitely held a different sensation. One was wavering like a candle, and the other pulsed softly.

He couldn't tell which one was Bakura or the thief. 

His new discovery of feeling another's soul was interrupted by movement. His eyes snapped open to look expectantly at Bakura, his heart sinking as Bakura was still just as motionless. Cautiously, he let his gaze rise up to the thief.

He was running a hand through his hair, the fingers curling and pulling roughly at jagged locks. His head was bowed slightly, but Kaiba could still make out the twitch in his expression as he tried to hold back a sob. Kaiba watched impassively, but his chest ached. No one could be that good of an actor. Resolving to an upset but determined expression, the thief reached towards Bakura with the same hesitation Kaiba had.

"What are you doing?"

The thief stared unwaveringly at Bakura, whispering," Maybe if I give him some of my soul he'll-"

"I thought you said you didn't have a lot of that left to go around," Kaiba interrupted, grabbing the thief's wrist and stopping him before he could make contact. He had other objections to the idea, such what harm would come from tainting Bakura's soul with whatever evil the thief was made of. None of the plan sounded like a good idea.

The thief laughed hysterically. "I've really messed up, huh?" He asked lightly, his voice dissonantly bright. His hand began to shake, and Kaiba uneasily let go. Tears prickled in the thief's eyes and he tried to blink them away.

"I wouldn't exactly call this a shining moment," Kaiba pragmatically answered, though he gripped his knee tightly until his knuckles paled. Why had Bakura had to get mixed up in this? He would have gladly faced the thief alone for any length of time if it just meant Bakura could be kept free and safe. His hand began to shake and he dully realized that his knee was giving off spikes of pain. Letting go, Kaiba sighed and set to something that seemed more productive. It comforted him to think that brushing though Bakura's hair might sooth him, even in this condition.

"If you hadn't drawn your ridiculous control card and sweeped the duel from under me, this would have never happened," the thief accused bitterly.

"Do you really think he would have let you win?" Kaiba asked angrily. "Surely that he cared for someone like _you_ should make it clear that his long-suffering concern was strong enough to extend to someone like me, who actually tried to help him after the mess _you_ made!" Standing up and stepping down from the planchette, he took two broad strides to be directly next to the thief, and picked him up the lapels. This "ready violence" no longer put Bakura in harm's way, and he was going to be as readily violent with this monster as he wanted to be.

Shaking the thief once, though finding a loose fitting cloak to be a poor design for it, Kaiba continued," If you never started the game- If you never came back, none of this would have happened at all!"

With a feral snarl, the thief yelled," You think you've somehow been there for him more? Who was dealing with the bullies when he was a child?! _I've_ been watching over him most of his life!"

"You've been using him to exact your petty revenge, is what you've done. He never wanted for his bullies and friends to be sealed away!" Kaiba threw the thief to the ground in disgust.

The thief's head cracked against the ground, and he screamed out in agony as his feet followed. Rolling to his side and curling up so he could grab at his throbbing feet, he cursed loudly. "Do you know what it's like to put your all into granting someone's wish, and for them to spit in your face?" His voice was piercing and hurt, dropping to pained whisper by the end.

Kaiba loomed over the thief, his fury not washed away the thief's emotional appeal. He wasn't a very physical man, he valued brute strength in games more than in physical competition, but the urge to pound the spirit's face in coursed through him. His fists shook on either side as they tensed for battle. This spirit was responsible for Bakura's panic attacks, for his recurring nightmares, for how he now laid asleep with the chance of never waking again. 

All the warming up to weakness, accepting mistakes, and working on becoming someone who helped the people of the world rather than abused them vanished as he raised his clenched fist and prepared to reconstruct the thief's face.

… It was his eyes that stilled him. Even with the older face, more set jaw, bronze skin, and large gashing scar… His eyes were wide in abject horror, and Kaiba could only see the eyes of the one he loved as he comforted Bakura in the dead of the night after a nightmare. Dropping to his knees before the thief, he bowed his head and asked," Can you teach me? How to give some of my soul?"

They didn't need more pain right now. They just needed Bakura back.

The thief stared at him bewildered for a moment, his gaze sharpening with resolve. "I can do it. I've done it before."

Kaiba looked to thief questioningly, wondering what he exactly meant by that.

"The Dark RPG," the thief expounded. "I took some of your ba to revive my character. It works the same in the real world… and soul rooms are basically in this world. It gets a bit complicated."

"I'm not interested in your magical explanation. All I care is that you can heal Bakura."

"I can try," the thief clarified.

"What, do we form some kind of circle and start chanting an obscure language? Get on with it," Kaiba snapped as he waited. He didn't know what to expect, but whatever it would feel like, no matter how painful or long lasting, he was willing to give it a try.

"Well, a circle would help." It was easier to place souls in the midst of games, or while in direct contact. He didn't directly own anything here, so he couldn't remotely absorb his soul like he had in the Memory World.

Kaiba gave a nettled hum and abruptly turned back to Bakura, leaving the thief to crawl back to the planchette himself. Kaiba sat on the softly pointed edge, encouragingly squeezing Bakura's shoulder more for his comfort than anything. When the thief finally crawled back, he hefted himself up to form a triangle with Kaiba and his host.

A hand was offered his way, and Kaiba took it reluctantly. He expected it to hurt or ache, at least feel like he was being drained physically, but it just felt like having to listen to a long speech. Sitting quietly and feeling a little more tired, but only from the emotional energy spent, not from physical labor. It felt familiar. It actually felt a lot like summoning a monster in a dark game, but without the pained pressure of sustaining their existence.

"I've taken a lot. It's not working."

"Then take more," Kaiba insisted.

The thief gave a long-suffering sigh and argued," You don't understand. A soul refills over time, but if you take too much at one time, the subject dies."

"Then skirt the line carefully."

It began to hurt, just like having several monsters in play when life points were low. Kaiba knew nothing of the actual Dark RPG rules, had never had ba explained to him properly, but he was beginning to understand the concept pretty clearly. He hunched his shoulders and gritted his teeth as his chest began to ache. Chills ran down his spine, and he began to tremble with fatigue. As thief tried to withdraw his hand, Kaiba squeezed tight and glared, just daring the thief to consider stopping.

As his vision began to dim and breathing stopped coming easily, Kaiba sank to his side, cheek on the edge of the planchette's hollow. Bakura's soft hair was just in front of him, and he made the taxing effort to lean close and kiss Bakura for possibly the last time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be Continued...
> 
> Thank your for reading! I'd love to hear what you thought of it.


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